Page 18 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, DECEmbER 29, 2023 GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList— the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications. MASSt erlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/aPTLucK THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local representatives voted with their party’s leadership in the 2023 session through December 22. The votes of the 2023 membership of 133 Democrats were compared to House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). The votes of the 2023 membership of Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen 24 Republicans were compared with those of GOP House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading). Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 67 votes from the 2023 House session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not quorum calls or votes on local issues. Rep. Susannah Whipps (U-Athol) is unenrolled and not affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic party. We based her voting record on how many times she voted differently than Democratic House Speaker Ron Mariano. THE DEMOCRATS: A total of 117 (87.9 percent) of the 133 Democrats voted the same as Mariano 100 percent of the time. There were only 16 Democratic representatives who voted differently than Mariano on any roll calls. The Democratic repreLIKE US ON FACEBOOK ADVOCATE NEWSPAPER sentative who voted the most times differently than Mariano was Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut) who voted differently six times. “While I may be the Democrat with the most votes not in line with the speaker ’s positions, I respect and like Speaker Mariano,” Garry told Beacon Hill Roll Call. “It is certainly nothing against him or his leadership. I represent a very conservative district and I proudly vote the wayI believe the majority of my constituents would want me to vote on issues.” THE REPUBLICANS: Fifteen (62.5 percent) of the 24 GOP members voted the same as Jones 100 percent of the time. There were only nine GOP representatives who voted differently than Jones on any roll calls. The Republican representative who voted the most times differently than Jones was Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) who voted differently nine times. Lombardo did not respond to repeated at - tempts by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on his voting. REPRESENTATIVES’ SUPPORT OF THEIR PARTY’S LEADERSHIP IN 2023 THROUGH DECEMBER 22 The percentage next to the representatve’s name represents the percentage of times the representative supported his or her party’s leadership so far in 2023 through December 22. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the senator opposed his or her party’s leadership. Some representatives FACEBOOK.COM/ADVOCATE.NEWS.MA voted on all 67 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each representative is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted. Rep. Joseph McGonagle 1 0 0 BEACON | SEE PAGE 19 Say nr Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller Tips on Caring for an Aging Parent Dear Savvy Senior, Where can I turn to for caregiving help? I help take care of my 80-year-old father and work too, and it’s wearing me out. Worn Out Wendy Dear Wendy, Taking care of an aging parent over a period of time – especially when juggling work and other family obligations – can be exhausting. But help and resources are available. Here’s what you should know. Identify Your Needs To help you determine and prioritize the kinds of help you need, a good fi rst step is to make a detailed list of everything you do as your dad’s caregiver and the amount of time each task takes. Identify the times when you need help the most and which tasks others might be able to do for you. Then list the types of care needed, such as simple companionship or doing active chores, like shopping or running errands. Once you determine this, here are some tips and places you can reach out to for help. Care Helpers If you have siblings or other loved ones close by, start by asking them if they could come and help with specific tasks. And see if friends, neighbors or faith group members could help too. You also need to check into local resources that may be available. Many communities off er a range of free or subsidized services that help seniors and caregivers with basic needs such as home delivered meals, transportation, senior companion services and respite services, which off ers short-term care so you can take an occasional break. Call your nearby Area Aging Agency (800-677-1116) for referrals to services. There are also a bevy of online services you can use to help you save time on certain chores. For example, online grocery shopping and home deliveries, and online pharmacy medication refi lls and deliveries. You can also order meal-kits or pre-made meals online through numerous meal service delivery companies and arrange needed transportation with ride sharing services like Lyft or Uber. Or, if you can aff ord it, you may want to consider hiring someone a few hours a week to help with things like cooking, housekeeping or even personal care. Costs can run anywhere from $12 up to $25 per hour. Care. com or CareLinx.com are two good websites to help you find someone, or you can work with a local home care agency. Financial Aids If you’re handling your dad’s fi nancial chores, make things easier by arranging for direct deposit for his income sources, and set up automatic payments for his utilities and other routine bills. You may also want to set up your dad’s online banking service, so you can pay bills and monitor his account anytime. Or, if you need help, consider hiring a bill paying service like Silver Bills (SilverBills.com), which charges a fl at fee of $150 per month. Benefi tsCheckup.org is another excellent tool to look for fi nancial assistance programs that may help your dad, particularly if he’s lower income. Technology Solutions To help you keep tabs on your dad when you are away at work or if he lives alone, there are aff ordable technology devices that can help. For example, there are medical alert systems and smart speakers that help with communication and allow him to call for help if needed. Home video cameras with twoway speakers that allow you to monitor and talk to him when you’re away. Electronic pill boxes that can notify you if he has taken his medications. And to help you coordinate his care with other members of his care team there are websites like LotsAHelpingHands.com. Other Resources There are also a number of other organizations you can draw on for additional information like the Family Care Alliance (Caregiver. org), which provides a stateby-state listing of caregiving programs and services; the Alzheimer’s Association (ALZ.org/help-support/caregiving) that provides information unique to the challenges of dementia caregivers; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Aff airs (Caregiver.va.gov), which off ers caregiver support services to veterans and spouses. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nior ior
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